Debt paid, Philadelphia plans new sewer plant

PHILADELPHIA — Just a few months after customers of the village's sewage treatment plant made their last payment on the debt from the facility's 1969 construction, the village is taking steps toward building a new one.

The move is in response to pressure from the state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 6, which for years has wanted the village to take action to reduce the plant's discharges into the Indian River.

"We said we'd look into that when the plant was paid off," Mayor Matthew J. Montroy said. "The last bill on that plant was paid in December."

At the village Board of Trustees meeting in February, the board looked at several options presented by engineering firm Bernier, Carr & Associates, Watertown, for a new sewage treatment plant. The board favored a $7,187,500 proposal and authorized the firm to forward preliminary engineering plans to DEC Region 6 for review. After that process is complete, the village can begin seeking funding sources for the project.

DEC's concerns relate to periodic discharges into the Indian River that exceed the maximum limits allowed under the plant's discharge permit. Those violations usually happen during April and May, high flow seasons, when snow cover is melting.

"The village has some infrastructure issues with water getting into their system," said Thomas G. Voss, a program specialist with the DEC Region 6 Division of Water. During those high flow periods, "they have increased flow down to the treatment plant."

The plant already has been retrofitted to handle increased flows, but as it nears the end of its life expectancy, materials are wearing out and a new plant with new parts and updated technology is needed to remedy the situation, Mr. Voss said.

In addition, DEC Region 6 is considering imposing limits on the amount of phosphorous sources can discharge into the river, to help control a nutrient overload in Black Lake.

Mr. Montroy said designing a new plant with phosphorous limitations in mind would save users the expense of trying to update a plant later.

Bernier, Carr has submitted its preliminary engineering plan for a new treatment plant to DEC Region 6 for approval. The agency hopes to return the plans to the village with comments by mid-April, Mr. Voss said.

As for a construction timeline, Mr. Montroy said if the village is able to secure funding by the fall, "hopefully by next spring we could be breaking ground."